Ribbon-Cutting Celebrates Reopening
A ribbon-cutting event hosted by the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce, MLPHA, and the Mountain Lake Park Mayor and Town Council was well-attended. Local elected officials and Maryland State Delegate Jim Hinebaugh joined in the festive celebration to officially open the renovated Ticket Office Museum. The building was the entry point for the 5,000-seat Bashford Amphitheater which was located just steps away. The amphitheater was razed in the 1940s but the matching Ticket Office was preserved and utilized ever since. The refreshed exhibition was made possible through a grant from Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage Area, the Heritage Areas Authority, and Mountain Lake Park Mayor and Town Council. Additional financial support and in-kind gifts came from local businesses and individuals listed below.
In a statement from Kim Folk, director of the Gateway to the West Heritage Area, the research and design team tasked with the project “turned a five-thousand-dollar grant into one worth a million dollars.” She continued to express enthusiasm for how the seed money spawned additional giving to create a destination for decades to come.
Mayor, Don Sincell shared the history of how in 1882, the Mountain Chautauqua first brought tens of thousands of visitors to Mountain Lake Park at the turn of the last century. Among over four-hundred other Chautauqua communities, Mountain Lake Park ranked in the nation’s top five. Although the origins of a religious-based community faded away, much of the historical architecture remained. The unique collection of rural-Victorian architectural styles earned the town a place in the National Register for Historic Places as an official Historic District. The Ticket Office Museum is a centerpiece of the district and is a destination for those wanting to learn about this celebrated chapter of life in “The Park.”
The new exhibition was curated by Elizabeth Rees Gilbert, co-curated by Karen Wooddell, and designed by Laura and Mark Stutzman of Eloqui, Inc. – all residents of Mountain Lake Park. Their goal was to create a self-guided space that is informative, immersive, and indicative of the Victorian era around which the town was built. Museum hours can be found at MLPHA.org/museum or visits can be scheduled by appointment.
History Takes Hold
In 1983 Mary I. Love, Karen & Hopwood Wooddell, Mountain Lake Park Mayor Russel Alexander, and other members of the community, helped to establish Mountain Lake Park's Historic District with the Maryland Historical Trust. That same year, Mountain Lake Park was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a historically significant town in the United States due to its unique and eclectic rural-Victorian architecture.
In 2003 The Wooddells, Jim & Shirley Munford, and Betsy Whittelsee converted the Ticket Office into a museum to preserve and showcase Mountain Lake Park's treasured history.
We want to thank our Principal Funding Agents
Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage Area and Maryland Heritage Areas Authority
The Mayor and Town Council of Mountain Lake Park
Mountain Lake Park Historical Association Board of Directors, Karen Wooddell, Linda Fike, and Gerry Ducket
Additional in-kind and cash gifts
Naylors Hardware (paint)
Fitzwater Furniture (round oriental rug)
Railey Design (half-round bench)
The Robinson & Franc Families (Bashford Amphitheater mural)
Mountain Top Glass (Custom cut glass)
Cabin Lodge Grill (Printed materials)
Elizabeth & Jeff Gilbert (Touch-Screen Monitor)
Mike Hood & Carolyn Henderson (Entry door modification, hardware update, and installation)
MLPHA President, Karen Wooddell (Architectural salvage details, antique frames, and artifacts)
Laura & Mark Stutzman (Antique entry door)
Community Partners
Garrett County Historical Society (Photographs and historical research)
Ruth Enlow Library (Audio tour training and equipment)
Our Town Theatre (Tables for archive storage)
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church (Tables for archive storage)
Research and Authentication Support
Sallie Stuart (Historical discovery and verification of dates, locations, and people)
Proof Reading and Editing
Kathleen Gibbs
New additions to the museum collection
Karen Wooddell (Child’s suitcase, tea set, MLP collectibles, postcards, stereoscope, and more)
Christine Minshall Haynes (Sewing machine, B&O jug, photography)
Lisa & Dave Bender (Briar Bend school bell)
Carter Wagoner (Blue flow china commemorative plate)
Fanny Ward Hinebaugh Johnson & Lorie Youse (Historical information of Bessy Ward-Hinebaugh)
Audio Tour Volunteers
Phyllis Anderson
Gayle Byrne
George Cowgill
Gerry Duket
Elizabeth Rees Gilbert
Jenny Neville
Laura Robinson
Daniel Skipper
Karen Wooddell
Anthony Wroten
